Lessons are 50 minutes long.

If it’s your first time on our farm, please arrive 10 minutes early to fill out required forms if you did not bring them with you. Forms can be found here.

STUDENTS WHO ARE ABLE TO TACK UP ON THEIR OWN: PLEASE ENSURE YOU ARRIVE AT LEAST 30 MINUTES BEFORE YOUR SCHEDULED LESSON TIME SO THAT YOU HAVE AMPLE TIME TO PREPARE YOURSELF AND YOUR HORSE FOR YOUR LESSON. YOU MUST BE TACKED UP AND READY AT YOUR SCHEDULED LESSON TIME!

Classes are formed based on the school horses we have available. We’ll need to know in advance the height and weight of each rider to know best which school horse to pair you with for your lesson.

TRAILER-IN STUDENTS ARE WELCOME!

• We offer online lesson scheduling and payment here for your convenience.

• 48-hour notice of lesson cancellation is required. You WILL be charged for your lesson if you do not observe this courtesy!

• We understand that things do happen in life and allow for ONE “emergency cancellation” every 3 months*, no questions asked.

*Note: Group lessons are excluded from this allowance. As Group lessons are offered at a substantial discount to be paid at the beginning of the month, there is no effective cancellation policy. This means that if you do not arrive for your Group lesson, you will not be refunded or rescheduled! It is nonetheless still appropriate to notify us of your impending absence so that we know which horses we have to use for other students.

• Lesson no-shows will not be refunded or rescheduled.

• We do not offer refunds! In the event of a weather or other cancellation, you may reschedule a make-up lesson before the end of the month in which the cancellation falls.* Lessons that are not made up according to this system will be considered “lost”.

Note: Group lessons are excluded from this allowance. As Group lessons are offered at a substantial discount to be paid at the beginning of the month, weather will only prompt make-up lessons if ALL 4 LESSONS IN A GIVEN MONTH ARE CANCELLED DUE TO INCLEMENT WEATHER. In such a case, payment received for the month of cancelled lessons will be applied to the following month.

• Please remember that lesson payments help provide feed and other care for our horses, as well as reimbursement for our time and expertise!

• Monthly tuition payments can be made on the 1st of each month (or the 15th if arrangements are made with the farm.) Payment for a la carte lessons is due at scheduling.

• We accept debit and credit cards. (*Please note that the initial Assessment Lesson may be paid using cash, check, debit or credit cards. All other lesson packages thereafter are purchased in monthly tuition packages, which must be paid via debit or credit card.)

We understand that most new riders may not yet own an appropriate riding helmet, so we’re happy to provide one of our student helmets for your use until you’ve purchased your own.

We require anyone who sits on any of our horses to wear an ASTM-/SEI-certified riding helmet - no exceptions! There is a tag inside each certified helmet which verifies its status as such. You may purchase a certified helmet online or in local stores that carry them. In the surrounding Southern Pines area, these types of helmets can be found at: Tractor Supply Company, Cabin Branch Tack Shop, and Moore Equine Supply.

For those with longer hair, please secure your hair away from your face with braids or a ponytail that can be tucked into a riding helmet.

We require that you arrive for your lessons in certain attire to ensure your safety while working around our horses and throughout your lesson. Once you decide that riding is for you, it’s a great idea to purchase a pair of riding boots, half-chaps, breeches, and a helmet you’re comfortable in. Don’t hesitate to ask us for recommendations!

We do ask that you arrive for your lesson in long pants, preferably jeans or riding breeches, with your shirt tucked into your pants. Sleeveless shirts are not allowed.

Some type of boot with a flat sole and a half-inch heel that covers and supports the ankle is required. Flip-flops and sandals are not acceptable footwear on a farm, and we request that parents and other accompanying observers also refrain from wearing these types of shoes. It’s simply good practice on any horse farm!

Extremely serious injuries can occur when working around horses in inappropriate footwear. You will NOT be allowed to ride a horse with stirrups without the appropriate shoes! (For those more experienced riders who would inexplicably arrive for a lesson without the appropriate footwear, please look forward to a no-stirrups and/or bareback lesson.)